Hello guys! I am considering replacing my Mac Mini and my TV to buy an iMac. The only question I have: can I connect a TV Box to an 21" or 24" iMac (no TV Tuner). I am not really sure if there are any HDMI Ports on the iMac.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Mac mini, macOS 14.7
greece_pro2013 wrote:
If I use an HDMI to USB adapter will it work?
No. Those are for taking USB-C (DisplayPort) output from a computer and displaying it on a monitor or a TV set that has a HDMI input. They typically are unidirectional – and even if you found an adapter that was bidirectional, the Mac would not accept USB-C (DisplayPort) input.
There are specialized HDMI video capture devices, but many of those cost much more than a TV set – and have the limitation that they do not work with DRM-infested video. The output from a cable TV set-top box is likely to be DRM-infested, and the output from a DVD or Blu-Ray player is guaranteed to be DRM-infested. So you could spend all of that money and still strike out.
If you need a TV, buy one. Large name-brand 4K TVs are very cheap these days. (There are several 43" and 50" Samsung 4K TVs listed on the Best Buy site for $250 or less. I was surprised to find that 32" 4K TVs are hard to find now, presumably because 43" – 55" ones have gotten so cheap.)
greece_pro2013 wrote:
If I use an HDMI to USB adapter will it work?
No. Those are for taking USB-C (DisplayPort) output from a computer and displaying it on a monitor or a TV set that has a HDMI input. They typically are unidirectional – and even if you found an adapter that was bidirectional, the Mac would not accept USB-C (DisplayPort) input.
There are specialized HDMI video capture devices, but many of those cost much more than a TV set – and have the limitation that they do not work with DRM-infested video. The output from a cable TV set-top box is likely to be DRM-infested, and the output from a DVD or Blu-Ray player is guaranteed to be DRM-infested. So you could spend all of that money and still strike out.
If you need a TV, buy one. Large name-brand 4K TVs are very cheap these days. (There are several 43" and 50" Samsung 4K TVs listed on the Best Buy site for $250 or less. I was surprised to find that 32" 4K TVs are hard to find now, presumably because 43" – 55" ones have gotten so cheap.)
If you're asking whether you can use an iMac as a TV set, the answer is No.
The iMac is not a TV set or monitor, and does not accept video input. There are some streaming video services that you can access using a computer, but you cannot plug a set-top cable box or a video game console into an iMac, to display its output on the Mac like you would on a TV set.
+1 No
If your cable TV provider provides internet streaming, then you can use that to watch TV on your iMac.
I consider your help.
If I use an HDMI to USB adapter will it work?
Thanks for that. The only problem is that my internet is very slow but I have found a way to make it faster. So it's all solved.
You're welcome.
FWIW I use my old upgraded 2012 Mac mini, a 32" Samsung TV and FireFox to stream Live TV from my cable TV provider.
Can I connect a TV Box to my iMac without HDMI?
